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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 3 · Chapter 21: Conversation Between Manu and Kardama
3.21.273.21.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.21.28

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Lordsince 3.21.24inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

समाहितं ते हृदयं यत्रेमान् परिवत्सरान् ।

सा त्वां ब्रह्मन्नृपवधू: काममाशु भजिष्यति ॥ २८ ॥

samāhitaṁ te hṛdayaṁ

yatremān parivatsarān

sā tvāṁ brahman nṛpa-vadhūḥ

kāmam āśu bhajiṣyati

Translation

That princess, O holy sage, will be just the type you have been thinking of in your heart for all these long years. She will soon be yours and will serve you to your heart’s content.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Entrust Your Desires to the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The Lord tells Kardama Muni that the princess will be suitable for the desire he has held in his heart. A suitable husband or wife is received by God’s grace.

  2. 2

    In every circumstance, we should take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and depend on His decision. The fulfillment of our desires is best entrusted to Him.

  3. 3

    Kardama Muni desired a wife, but the Lord selected an emperor’s daughter for him. The Lord’s choice brought a blessing beyond his expectation.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord awards all benedictions according to the heart’s desire of a devotee, so the Lord informed Kardama Muni, “The girl who is coming to be married with you is a princess, the daughter of Emperor Svāyambhuva, and so just suitable for your purpose.”
  • Thus it is said that if we pray to the Supreme Lord in every transaction of our material existence, everything will be done very nicely and just suitable to our heart’s desire.
  • Kardama Muni desired only a wife, but because he was a devotee of the Lord, the Lord selected a wife for him who was the Emperor’s daughter, a princess.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Longing and service → Preparedness. Family devotion turns toward higher spiritual fulfillment.

Chapters 20–24 of Canto 3: Kardama, Devahūti, family and renunciation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 21: Conversation Between Manu and Kardama

Kardama performs penance, receives the Lord’s blessings, and welcomes Manu, who travels with his wife and daughter.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.21
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. samāhitamhas been fixed
  2. teyour
  3. hṛdayamheart
  4. yatraon whom
  5. imānfor all these
  6. parivatsarānyears
  7. sāshe
  8. tvāmyou
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.21

    In this verse: “grace”, “blessing”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 3.21

    In this verse: “emperor’s”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.21

    In this verse: “shelter”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which desire could I entrust more fully to the Lord’s decision?

Practice

Offer a short prayer about one decision today, asking to depend on the Supreme Lord’s choice.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.21's connections

Live this todayEntrust Your Desires to the Supreme LordThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 3.21.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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